Pianist Carolyn Enger Sets Upcoming Shows

American pianist Carolyn Enger will perform concerts on two prestigious series: The Kosciuszko Foundation, Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 7 p.m. and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Sunday, November 30, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. The Kosciuszko Foundation concert includes a tribute to American composer Ned Rorem for his 91st birthday, and the National Gallery program features music by mid-20th-century American composers.

Thursday, November 6, 2014, 7 p.m.

The Kosciuszko Foundation (15 East 65th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, Manhattan)
Ticket Prices: $20 (Kosciuszko Foundation members, students and seniors $15), available at the door or online: http://www.thekf.org/kf/events/upcoming_events/event/?mode=tickets.

The Kosciuszko Foundation is dedicated to promoting educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and to increase American understanding of Polish culture and history.

Founded in 1925, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Thaddeus Kosciuszko's enlistment in the American revolutionary cause, the Foundation is a national not-for-profit, nonpartisan, and nonsectarian organization.

The Kosciuszko Foundation is a membership organization supported by contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals who share the Foundation's mission of fostering the relations and understanding between the United States and Poland.

The Van Alen Mansion, one of New York City's architectural treasures, became home of the Kosciuszko Foundation in 1945. The building, designed by Harry Allan Jacobs, was constructed in 1917 in the then most affluent and desirable neighborhood in New York. Its prototype, located in St. James Square in London, was the childhood home of England's late Queen Mother.

Included in the program are selections from Ms. Enger's critically acclaimed CD, "Ned Rorem: Piano Album I and 'Six Friends,'" and works by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, and American composer Sean Hickey.

Lauded for her sensitive, nuanced playing, American pianist Carolyn Enger is a musician who consistently entrances her audiences. MusicWeb International praised her playing as "thoughtful and sensitive... expressive... She plays with fine nuance and tone shading." Fanfare wrote, "Enger's dynamic control and emotional sensitivity complement her keen sense of timing and proportion."

In the New York area, she has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Auditorium, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Tenri Cultural Center, Spectrum, and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.

Ms. Enger's debut album, In Evening Air, included music of Beethoven, Scriabin, Hanson, Copland, Liebermann and Ned Rorem. Recording In Evening Air inspired her to delve deeper into Rorem's pieces for piano.

Committed to creating compelling programs, Ms. Enger performs concert repertoire ranging from European masterworks to fresh discoveries. With her keen interest in performing new works by American and Israeli composers, Ms. Enger's recital programs often feature music by Ned Rorem, Lowell Liebermann, Betty Olivero, Avner Dorman and Lior Navok.

Her interest in distinctive concert experiences has led Ms. Enger to explore a multimedia concert program about World War II which combines music, literature and images that focus on the lives of Mischlinge - half-Jews, in Germany, before, during and after the Holocaust.

Her dedication to bringing music to new audiences has led Ms. Enger to perform in settings such as Israel's Bet Yad Lebanim in Nahariya, the Felicja Blumenthal Center in Tel Aviv and, in New York City, at St. Peter's Church and the Donnell Library Center. Ms. Enger's community engagement performances have left presenters and audiences "in complete awe of her passion, skill and genuine warmth," according to Cheryl Wylen, Program Director, Backstage at the Y Concert Series.

On the occasion of composer Ned Rorem's 90th birthday (October 23, 2013), Naxos released the recording of his collections, Piano Album I and Six Friends, on its American Classics series. Many of these works were world-premiere recordings. About this album, Anthony Tommasini, Chief Music Critic of The New York Times, wrote: "This year the classical music critics of The New York Times had plenty of options when selecting their favorite recordings of 2013....Among the 90th Birthday tributes this year to the essential American composer Ned Rorem, this recording especially stands out. The fine pianist Carolyn Enger plays Mr. Rorem's complete Piano Album l, a collection of tender yet pungent miniatures written for friends, intimates and personal occasions from 1978-2001."

Ms. Enger is a Steinway Artist.

To post a comment, you must register and login.